BEHIND THE NIGERIAN GHNRRAL STRIEN from Julian Atkinson
The Financial ‘Times of October 1 hada special 4-page insert devoted to Nigeria, ijimong the articles was one by Billy J. Dudley of the University College, Ibadan. This was quite remarkable for the frank way he spoke of sociel differentiation in the country. A few extracts from the article will show the basic reasons why Nigeria had a general strike:
4 eeestew countries in the world show the same degree of disparity of earned incomes as Nigeria, where the ratio between the lowest and the highest paid is as much as one one to over 400, Much of this differentiation is 2 heritege of Nigeria's colonial past. But indépendence, rather than nerrowing the gap between rich and poor, has only served to enhance and to perpetuate what should be intolerable. At ome end of the social scale is the masa of general and unskilled labourers - and the subsistence farmers, who.,eexist in penury. They live in overcrowded conditions, AB many as 3 in a small room for which the rent is as much as 25% of their income, surrounded by filth and dirt and with limited medical facilities,
"it the other end of the social spectrum are the top civil servants, university lecturers, senior employees of the public corporetions and the politicans, All these live in comforteble luxury and enjoy every perquisite of office, well furnished governnent 'quarters' at subsidised rents, motor ear and childrens' rllowances snd frequent free trips abroad. Their child-— ren either go to expensive private schools or are educated abronades,.
"Overhancing this is the threat of rapidly erewing amemployment, It is sada, for instance, that of the 400,000 leaving the primary schools in 1963, only 5% were absorbed into secondary schools or succeeded in finding some form of employment. It is in this context that the general strike in June mst be viewed, The strike, which lasted for 13 days, resulted in 2 virtual paralysis of the economy and involved an eatimated 800,000 workers, was directed as much to the demand for higher wages and improved socisl conditions as-it was simed against the unwarranted privileges enjoyed by the favoured Lowes.
"With an additional age burden, some firms - for instance one near Lagos mamnfacturing plastic prwducts - have amounced that they might have to ¢lose down if further inducements are not given by the Government. Others have hed to reconsider further expansion as a direct result of the forced incresses in wage costs, while a few, faced with the inability to meet the increased cost of operntions, and a higher wa’ bill, have been threatened with strike action. Besideg,this, the threat of inflation coupled with the new found power of the unions, if is suggested, now causing private investors to regard investments in Nigeria as too High a risk...”
One might comment that the future of Nigeria, unless it '.eoes along the socislist read, looks very bleak indeed.